Roman Numerals and Place Value

We have been studying how to read and write Roman Numerals. Unlike our number system, Roman Numerals are an additive number system. It doesn’t matter where the digits are, but rather it matters how they add up. In our Hindu-Arabic system we have 10 digits (0-9), which change in value depending on where they are placed. My goal is to illuminate the importance of place value by juxtaposing these two different systems.

But, for now we are just playing with Roman Numerals. It’s fun. It’s like code. This week I introduced a game of Roman Numeral Memory. Since the numbers can be quite challenging to decipher, we have kept them face-up and simply matched pairs. Want to make a game yourself?